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Problem solving

Pineapple weed

Symptoms

Pineapple weed will spread and root in any open ground - even in compacted earth and paths - competing with plants for nutrients and space.

Find it on: all over the garden, but particularly in lawns

Time to act: late-spring to autumn

Pineapple weed

Pineapple weed, Matricaria matricarioides, relishes the challenge of rooting into a well-trodden path or other seemingly unhospitable soils. When walked on the plant's leaves release a pleasant pineapple-like scent, but a single plant will flower and produce thousands of plants in its short lifetime, quickly spreading through the garden.

Solution

Organic

Hand weed or hoe out seedlings as they appear, or smother them with a good layer of compost or mulch. Try to remove plants before they flower and seed to slow its spread.

Chemical

Use a total weedkiller, such as glyphosate. Avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable plants.

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